


into you

by orphan_account



Series: Living so last night feels like a past life (grocery au) [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Pizza Date, Slow Burn, but not a date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-08-22 08:05:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8278742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Otherwise known as, Keith stuffs bread sticks into his mouth whenever Lance does a cute thing. / Part of an AU where the Voltron gang all works at the same grocery store.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this to kind of prep for NaNo. I haven't written a fanfic in...three or so years? It's been awhile, and this is so out of my scope for me. Usually my stories have some kind of impending doom in them, or death. I haven't written anything coherent in a couple of months, even when it comes to my own original stuff. Anyway, there is a great lack of Keith pining for Lance fic out there despite the fact that Klance is a vast majority of fandom.
> 
> I want to have a series of oneshots surrounding this AU, and it probably won't even be in "order", but I mean this is just to get the hang of writing again. Enjoy!

If you had told Keith that the whole week he had with Lance was a carefully, elaborate set up by Pidge and Hunk--well, he would believe you.  He would believe you because Keith is pretty positive his friends are _horrible_ .  If you had told Keith that he would have not even realized the fact until about Saturday at a pizza place at 5pm, then he would have denied it, but really Keith would also believe that.  Keith, by accounts of everyone including himself, is fucking _stupid_.

He likes to believe he’s smart, people tell him all the time, _Keith you’re too smart for your own good_ .  Really though?  All of those people telling him that made him too dumb and oblivious for his own good.  People can wave report cards and other tangible accomplishments in your face, but knowing that you might have _feelings_ for your coworker?

Yeah, that took him about five months to even consider.

At the current point in time, this was Lance and Keith’s first official night without anybody else.  They had spent the whole week with Hunk during his study breaks, at a coffee shop, then again at the park on a blanket when it was actually 70 degrees outside, and just at his place.  Pidge took them to an arcade where she kicked their ass to last week, and they had a movie marathon.  This was all under the guise of, “We know you two _so well_ , it’s not fair that you two barely hang out together because you’re always working!”

Except, Keith didn’t really want to know Lance any better.  Knowing Lance any better was making his brain muddy, and it made him not go to work, occasionally made him want to actually go outside, and Keith is very opposed to _anybody_ making him change, even if it was a good thing.

He tends to be stupid that way, of course, he is only aware of such things when people like Pidge keep telling him every week, and when Hunk makes him flower bouquets for a certain _someone_ whenever he stops by the floral department.  Keith hates that his visits and breaks at the grocery store were being spent around Hunk’s floral department, and while the only compliment he’s able to spit out is, “Huh.  That’s pretty.”

Well, there’s a part of him that knows.  He sees it in Pidge’s raised eyebrows and in Hunk’s small grin.  He hates himself, but he is trying not to tonight.

Tonight, Keith and Lance were in a pizza place around Hunk’s college.  Neither of them really had a reason to be around here, but apparently, college football was important enough to warrant some steep discounts.

“Man, I’m glad Hunk let us know that they have discounts at this place on game days.  I’m not in college, but man, the perks of getting half a pizza and drinks for $10 is pretty cool.”  Lance sat down at the table and waited for a waitress to come over.  “Sooooo, you’ve been _super_ quiet since I picked you up from your apartment.”

Keith glances over at Lance, he’s already decided he’s going to lie, even though he knows that he’s terrible at it and he doesn’t think that Lance is completely stupid.  “Well, this is...the first time we’ve hung out without Hunk or Pidge.”

Lance tilts his head, but seems to buy it, because that is a fact.  “Do I give you allergies or something Keith?  Am I _that_ bad?”

“Yes.”  Keith says without changing his facial expression, “Yes, to all of it.”

Lance is about to say something else, but the waitress comes over and smiles, “Hey y’all, welcome!  Do y’all know what you want to order?”  She places some breadsticks on the table and Lance perks up, immediately smiling at her.

“Yeah!  Can we get the half pizza special?  I’d like jalapenos and pepperoni on my half if that’s okay.”

“ _Jalapenos?”_ Keith stuffs a breadstick in his mouth out of pure disgust.  The waitress says a cheerful, ‘sure!’, simultaneously before turning to Keith. 

“What can I get for you, sir?”

Keith tilts his head, his cheeks still full of breadstick.  Lance rolls his eyes, “Sorry, for my _rude_ friend.”  Keith glares, and Lance keeps talking for him, “He’ll have just a cheese pizza, and we’ll both just have a coke please”  The waitress nods and walks away to get their drinks.

Keith swallows, “How did you _know_?”

Lance rolls his eyes while the waitress puts their cokes on the table, “You are literally, the most boring person on the planet.  It’s... _endearing_.”

“Endearing?”  Keith chokes on the breadstick he just stuffed into his mouth, “Like what?  A dog?”

“No!” Lance rolls his eyes at him, “I think it’s nice.  You’re easy to talk to, easy to be around, everything is _easy_ .”  Keith feels something in him stop for the second, and he chews the breadstick a little bit more slowly, for _effect_ or maybe so he can convince himself that his emotions aren’t his imagination.  Lance is real, and he has been set up to hang out with him, which he’s starting to become okay with.  “You’re a good friend.”

 _Ugh_ , Keith chews on his breadstick at normal pace again.  That moment was over, but unfortunately, Lance seems to be filled with words that make him think too much.  This was going to be a long night.  “...thanks.”

“You’re welcome!”  Keith rolls his eyes and shoves another breadstick in his mouth.  Lance takes the _only_ breadstick left and cocks a brow, “Damn, Keith.  You’re like a black hole.”

Mouth full, Keith only manages, “I’m poor.”

Lance frowns a little, sips his coke and sighs, “Keith.  Hunk can always make you food, he always makes _way_ too much, his parents always make way too much.  You can always text us, god, you work all the time too.”

Keith swallows his breadstick and shrugs, “Honestly, I just.  I forget to eat, I think.  I usually eat just one or two big meals, I try to plan them around my working out, basically.  I mean, I definitely eat _enough_.  It’s just like, you know, I’m lazy and I work at a fucking grocery store.”

“I work at the same grocery store, Keith.”

“Okay, well, you’re being kind of a...I don’t know, a parent? Right now?”

Lance laughs, swirling around his coke with the straw, “I can’t help it.  I’m the oldest.  It’s like, a weird instinct at a point, no matter how many times my parents say I could be a better older sibling.”

Keith stares at him for awhile, he wouldn’t have pictured Lance as the oldest siblings a week ago.  It felt like Lance always needed watching, that he couldn’t really understand the concept of independence, but Keith had always been by himself.  He’s realized that Lance, well, he really isn’t ever by himself.  He’s always around Hunk and Pidge, and even then Keith can tell, that Lance had even more friends at some point.  So many customers at the store would just say _hi_ to him, and Keith wonders where he’s been for the past couple of years to just realize that Lance existed.

“Earth to Keith?”

Keith blinked, he didn’t realized that a _minute_ passed and Keith just had this vacant look in his eyes probably.  At best, he probably looked bored, at worst, he looked like he was--whatever he actually felt _was_.  “Oh.  I just...I was thinking, how I always pictured older siblings...well, I mean.  You weren’t like that, or I wouldn’t have thought that, until now.”  Keith hesitates for a second, then sighs, “I mean, I’m an only child, so.”

“Oh, yeah.” Lance drums his fingers against the table, “I mean, for a long time, I kind of didn’t let anyone take care of me the way that I took care of other people, you know?  I don’t know if that makes sense.  I forgot, well, _no_ , I didn’t forget you were by yourself, but I just can’t imagine the situation you’re in.”

“What do you mean?  I mean.”  Keith squirms in his chair a little, he takes the tiniest sip of his coke that he can manage, and avoids Lance’s eyes.  This was terrible, there were no more breadsticks, he’ll pay extra for them.  Lance cocks a brow at him and Keith sighs, pretends that he’s thinking about what to say rather than thinking about...whatever he was occupied with.  He didn’t even want to admit it to himself, not yet.  “I _mean_ , I know what you mean.  I’m a foster kid, I was, but I got adopted.  It’s weird, people always have questions, it doesn’t bother me as much as it used to.”

“But, it bothers you?”

 _Not when you ask_ , Keith thinks about saying and Keith lets out a deep breath, because his brain just figured out how to breathe around Lance apparently.  “...can we get more breadsticks?”

“...yeah, we can get cheese sticks, I’ll get two.  I pay for one and you pay for one, I mean it’s cool if you have most of it though, I don’t mind.  I mean, treat yourself Keith.”  Lance smiles at him and flags down the waitress for more breadsticks, and Keith just starts watching him.

If you asked Keith a week ago, he wouldn’t even admit that he was hanging around the floral department for the sake of Lance, in fact he is barely admitting that to himself _now_ .  After tonight, he’s going to go right back to denial, and this process will go away forever or take another three months.  For now, he is going to let himself watch.  Keith cannot form _real_ compliments about people, just facts that don’t quite make sense.

Lance’s eyes are bright.  Lance is caring to a fault, but you never notice it because he’s always around Hunk of all people.  Lance’s eyelashes are annoyingly long.  Lance smiles all the time.  Lance thinks that Keith is a good friend.

Keith is positive that this is the most he’s ever noticed about a person ever.  “Thanks, for…” Keith shoves a breadstick in his mouth before he finishes the sentence.

Lance rolls his eyes, “Yeah, Keith.  You’re welcome for the breadsticks.  We haven’t even gotten the pizza yet.”

Keith pauses for a second, swallows the breadsticks way too quickly, “...I’m glad I got adopted, you know, it’s just weird because I was already 16.  I mean, they’re still...they still try to talk to me, but it’s weird.”

“I get that.” Keith cocks an eyebrow at him and Lance laughs, it makes Keith want to sink into his chair, Lance talks about how easy Keith is, but Lance laughs and smiles so _easily_ .  “No, I mean!  I don’t, get it completely, yeah.  I just...I can’t imagine being thrown into a new situation like that.  I don’t _know_ how your past families were, or if you were always okay or well off, but you’re pretty independent Keith.  You’re all weird and probably thought you were edgy as a kid.”

“ _Hey_.”

Lance rolls his eyes again, “What I _mean_ , is that it must have been hard.”

Keith stares at the basket of cheese sticks, and suddenly he didn’t feel like eating anymore.  “I was expecting you to say something about how important family is, or nagging me to contact them.”

For a second, Lance’s eyes don’t look quite as bright anymore, but Keith feels like it’s the trick of the light.  This is a college town, and a pizza place where most people drown their hangovers in, yeah--it’s the lighting.

Lance sighs, then laughs quite easily, which makes the next sentence almost painful to listen to.  “I don’t really talk to my parents.”

Before Keith is given a second to respond, before Keith can even think that Lance’s words make him hurt a little, a pizza is thrust in front of them.

“Sorry for the wait y’all, hope y’all enjoy!  Do y’all need anything else?  Oh, let me refill your coke!”  The waitress grabs a pitcher from her other hand like magic, and Keith blinks, while Lance lets out a thanks so easily, it’s like the last second of their conversation didn’t happen.

“Well man, let’s eat!”

As soon as Keith takes the first bite of pizza, Lance starts filling the five seconds of silence with chatter.  Lance talks so much that it’s overwhelming sometimes, he fills all of Keith’s silences before Keith has a chance to realize that they were there in the first place.  If Keith was more concerned about it, he would be offended that Lance was obviously evading something.

“Isn’t it weird we never hung out before like this?”

Keith shrugs, “I mean...we work together, that’s about it.  I didn’t hang out with Hunk before so much, and I _knew_ of Pidge, but only because of Matt.”

Lance tilts his head, swallowing a bite of pizza still in his mouth, “Is that why you were so mean to me?  Is it because I replaced him?”

“No, it’s because you were fucking annoying.”

“Ah, there’s the old Keith I’ve come to know and love.”  Lance just smiles at him, as if he’s in on some kind of joke.  “I mean, I always thought you were too busy for me, not too _awkward_.  I’m a horrible judge of character.”

Keith blinks, pizza cheese dripping down his chin that he’s trying to slurp up, “I’m awkward?”

“Oh my _god_.” Lance is laughing too hard now and yanks some of the pizza cheese down back to Keith’s plate, “Did anyone teach you how to eat food properly?”

“No?”  Keith looks down on his pizza cheese on his plate, pondering if he should just eat it off his plate anyway, it’s not like it would change much; Lance _already_ thinks he’s some kind of animal.

“So, Keith, how did you get to know Hunk?  I mean, your department and his department are on opposite sides of the store almost.”

He hesitates, because just a couple months ago--no, just a _week_ ago, he didn’t know what compelled him to keep stopping by the floral department.  Maybe, he secretly always wanted to be by the produce department so he could watch Lance during lunch breaks.  Maybe, he was always planning to get free bouquets from Hunk because that’s what the cute guy who came in after his shifts deserved.  Maybe, he just wanted to talk to Hunk because that was the most direct way he could get to know Lance, without actually having to _talk_ to him.

“I was just bored one day, you know, and...Hunk’s nice.”  Lance cocks one brow up and Keith furrows his in frustration, it looked like Lance was stifling a _laugh_.  “What?  I can’t find people nice?”

Lance takes an extra long sip of his coke and leans towards Keith, he tries not to cringe at Lance’s breath smelling vaguely like jalapenos.  “Do you...you know, _like_ Hunk?”  Lance leans back into his chair and takes another extra long sip of his coke.

Now, Keith just scrunches his nose and raises both of his eyebrows back at him, and makes some kind of shrugging motion.  “I mean...of course?  Doesn’t everyone?”  Hunk was a good guy who stuffed food down Keith’s mouth without complaints since, “Gee Keith, ever since you’ve become a nervous wreck, your stomach is _way_ much more of an abyss than Lance’s.”  Of course, he didn’t figure out until these string of not-dates _what_ he was a nervous wreck about since Keith’s perception of his own emotions is about as reliable as Lance being on time to, well, _anything_.

But then, he pauses for a second, gasps and then manages to choke on his own gasp.  This causes Lance to let out the laugh he’s been keeping in this whole time, “Wait, _what_?”

Between giggles, Lance is babbling and making ridiculous hand gestures the whole explanation, “I mean, I don’t blame you.  He’s great in every way.  He makes good food, he has a gentle soul, his happiness is toxic, he’s _hilarious_ , and yet he’s way more sensible than I am.  I mean god, even _I’m_ in love with him sometimes, like almost everyday.”  Keith is trying to focus more on the elaborate hand gestures than the words coming out of his mouth; he has mastered the art of making a lot of things white noise.

A second passes, “What?”

“Okay, okay.  I see that definitely isn’t the case, because it looks like you haven’t even thought of that, which is rather offensive by the way.”  Lance sips his coke again, glances at Keith and pops a pepperoni in his mouth.  “I mean, he makes you flowers dude.  I thought he liked you back, this whole week, I was sort of testing you.”

“Testing me?  You were _testing_ me?  What do I even need to be tested on?  I’m…” Keith _was_ about to say he is good enough for Hunk, but thinking back on it, even though Hunk and Pidge together were equal amounts of horrible; by himself, Hunk is a much better person than he would ever be.

Lance laughs before Keith gets the chance to speak again, “Nobody is good enough for Hunk, not to me.”

Keith often has moments where people believe that he’s the type to get stuck inside his own head.  That necessarily isn’t true, what really happens is that he’s so good at being oblivious to everything, and he’s equally good at focusing, as long as there were things in the background to be ignored.  He is used to making people’s voices white noise, he is used to rolling comments off of his back, he is used to words going in one ear and out the other.  However, the impulses come out all the time, sometimes when the truth needed to be heard, but mostly at inopportune moments.

His brain and mouth spit out at the exact same time, “You know, I definitely think you would be good enough for him.”

He sees Lance’s smile sort of fade for a second, and usually, he would never have noticed anything like that, but he has about five seconds of focusing before he doesn’t know anything again.  Lance chuckles once, and Keith thinks, okay, so he has to be happy about that, doesn’t he?  However, Lance just lays his hands flat down on the table, “I think we should uh, go head out for ice cream instead, if that’s okay?”

“Oh.” Keith blinks, “I mean...I thought we were only going to do this.  I mean, not that I don’t _want_ to do more things with you, of course I do, today has been okay.  I think my cat will be okay for a couple more hours.”

“Wait, wait-- _hold the phone_ , Keith you have a cat?  Is it a kitten?  No, how old is it?  Is it an old grumpy cat, like grumpy old Keith?  You’re a _cat_ _person_?”  The waitress pops back around and before she can speak, Lance interrupts his spiel with, “Yes.  We’ll take the check.”  Then goes back to cupping his chin in his hands, “Oh my _god_ , Keith, if I knew how secretly adorable you are I would have actually talked to you.  You’re so mean to me at work though.”

Keith chuckles just once, which just makes Lance perk up a little bit more, “I mean, Lance you tend to not do your job.”

Lance sighs, “Nevermind.  That totally isn’t funny.”  An even longer second passes, Lance is signing the credit card bill without letting Keith even touch it, and Keith sips up the rest of his coke.  “You can pay for the ice cream, or...if you let me see your cat, I mean, you won’t have to pay for the ice cream.”

Keith scoffs, “Yeah.  You’re lucky I’m continuing to hang out with you in the first place.”

“Oh, you loved talking to me.  I am positive this week is the most you’ve talked all of your life.”  Lance grins at him and pulls him up from his chair, “I am _positive_ , that you are finally getting friends, Keith.”

“I had friends.” Keith mumbles and looks up at him, not even offended that Lance could just hoist him out of a chair so easily.  He wants to say a lot of things, like how despite the pizza place being in the middle of where all the college kids are and how _usually_ that makes him feel guilty because he hasn’t even thought about school; with Lance that seems to be okay.  Lance didn’t care about him being adopted, Lance didn’t care about him not being in college, but he did seem to think it’s adorable that Keith had a pet cat.  Which is bizarre, _tons_ of people have cats.  

He sighs as he’s lead out the door, and he stuffs his hands in his pockets, “Lance, I’ll just pay for the ice cream.”

Lance whines, “But I _really_ , want to see your cat.”

Keith shrugs, getting out his wallet and opening the door to the ice cream place next door, “ _Maybe_ if I decide to hang out with you more than once, you’ll see her.”


End file.
